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An Untamed State

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An Untamed State

By: Roxane Gay
Narrated by: Robin Miles
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About this listen

Mireille Duval Jameson is living a fairy tale. The strong-willed youngest daughter of one of Haiti’s richest sons, she has an adoring husband, a precocious infant son, by all appearances a perfect life. The fairy tale ends one day when Mireille is kidnapped in broad daylight by a gang of heavily armed men, in front of her father’s Port au Prince estate. Held captive by a man who calls himself The Commander, Mireille waits for her father to pay her ransom. As it becomes clear her father intends to resist the kidnappers, Mireille must endure the torments of a man who resents everything she represents.

An Untamed State is a novel of privilege in the face of crushing poverty, and of the lawless anger that corrupt governments produce. It is the story of a wilful woman attempting to find her way back to the person she once was, and of how redemption is found in the most unexpected of places. An Untamed State establishes Roxane Gay as a writer of prodigious, arresting talent.

©2015 Roxane Gay (P)2024 Hachette Audio UK Crime Fiction Disappearance Scary
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A very harrowing account that made difficult listening at times. But it kept drawing you in. 1 Womans quest to survive such a harrowing ordeal.

Excellent

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Even 33 years as a Police Officer did not prepare me for the ‘up close and personal’ descriptions in this story. I used the recording to help my recovery from a hip operation and walking off the weakened muscles. It certainly kept my mind off my insignificant troubles.

Prepare to be disgusted & horrified

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Struggled doesn't cover it. I could not even finish it. Don't bother. Way too twee. Author is a narcisist and how her captors put up with her is a mystery to me. Grossly inflated opinion of herself and her role in dealing with the kidnappers. Way over the top and narration was poor. Do yourself a favour and give it a miss. There are lots of great books about Haiti out there, most far more worthy than this drivel.

Not my scene

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Such an intensely deep story. I found it hard to believe it wasn’t a true story.
It was such a powerful and believable tale that in some parts I was openly crying. So glad I wasn’t listening to this on public transport or with other people around! They would think someone had died! I am wholly moved by this, and would recommend it, but only to those that could bear to hear the torments she went through during and after her abduction. I certainly need something more lighthearted for my next book, but will look for more from Roxane Gay.

Heartbreakingly powerful

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Would you listen to An Untamed State again? Why?

No, I've read it now, but it's a good story and could very easily be true, it was also good to have her version of what happened to her

What did you like best about this story?

The kindness of some unexpected characters

What about Robin Miles’s performance did you like?

Pleasant voice

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Dont be silly

Any additional comments?

no

A good storyr

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I started listening to story and in beginning I thought it was a real account the way it was written with all the detail. Must say was a bit disappointed when realised it wasn't. Overall a good story, but did find sometimes the detail and level of description was a bit too much. Especially when listening in morning on way to work and for 40 minutes it was just describing a rape. Felt exhausted when I got out of the car!!
It seemed the author has done a lot of research in how people cope with PTS as the level of description was overwhelming, even though sometimes I felt like saying, just phone a doctor to do a home visit!!
But a good book.

Author has done her research on PTS

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dramatic story but annoying narration.
I have never heard someone's tone go up for no reason at the end of every sentence.
story was powerful although some descriptive scenes felt a bit gratuitous

good story, irritation narration

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This is a story of poverty, wealth, brutality, misogyny, patriarchy, survival and hope.

The Untamed State, a country and a person, particularly women have an unbreakable soul. Their bodies might be broken and hurt sometimes their mind and morality is bent but beneath all that tangle of human detritus is hope. Broken humans survive because they hope. The writer compares the vulnerability of women in a patriarchal world to the lives of people living in poverty and destitution. It tells us what happens to women in such worlds. In truth any world.

A powerful terrifying story

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I struggled to swallow this in stages. To turn this off, despite wincing, grimacing, sighing or allowing a tear felt like a betrayal. So engulfing is the fiction of these characters, one senses it captures true moments in too many real lives. I'm sure it does. The words bind to you: the scents, tastes, horror, love.
The performance was convincing. The narrator is one of the better I've heard. I can't say this book is enjoyable as such. This is a graphic and haunting novel, though that's the only way a story like this can be told.

Deeply affecting.

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Great description of PTSD and overall I could feel myself being there and being stressed for Mireille BUT the rest of the content I did not find believable. Especially the relationships in this book. I found then to be wildly unrealistic.

some things are missing

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